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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28784475">Familiar Stranger</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shefani_gx/pseuds/Shefani_gx'>Shefani_gx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Blake Shelton (Musician), Shefani, The Voice (US) RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Abuse, Angst, Family, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:40:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,295</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28784475</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shefani_gx/pseuds/Shefani_gx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I see a young girl who I don’t recognize in gray Nike sweatpants and a beat-up old sweatshirt reading “Sooners” across the chest. The girl is standing cautiously away from the door.  She looks anxious, taping one finger against the side of her leg repeatedly, while using her other hand to gently pull at the ends of her long brown hair.  A million questions race through my mind, the biggest one being how she got past the gate at the end of the driveway without triggering any security measures.  I don’t feel scared while looking at her though.  I am actually comforted by a sense of…. familiarity.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Shockwave</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi everyone!  This is my first Fanfiction ever so we will see how this goes!  Please feel free to give me constructive feedback on ways I can improve as well as your thoughts on the story!  This will be a multi-chapter story but because I have never done this before I am not making any promises yet on how fast I will update for I am still trying to get a feel for time managment of my writing with the rest of my life lol.  I hope you enjoy!</p>
<p>P.S. sorry for any grammar/spelling errors in advance :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 1: Shockwave</p>
<p>Gwen’s POV<br/>
The sun is beating down on me as it angles in the sky while I lay next to the pool on a lounger.  I hear the sliding glass door open and slowly smile at the indication that he’s home.  Our lives have been so hectic the last few weeks with the kids, the voice, as well as both of us working on new music.  However, we have always been good at staying laid back and relaxed at home, even when we have to bring work home with us.  A relationship talent I am so grateful we possess.  I see the sun disappear behind my closed eyes, replaced with a shadow and know that he is standing over me, but I wait for him to make the first move.  I hear him squat down next to the sun lounger.  “Pretty girl” I hear him whisper, and it’s getting harder for me to keep a straight face.  “I know you’re awake pretty girl, how much longer are you gunna keep teasing me?”  I giggle and open my eyes to meet his ocean blue ones.  He smiles.  “Hi Blakey,” I respond matching his smile.  Blake leans down to peck my lips and I quickly pull him in for a little more before he can pull away.  He chuckles at my antics but does not resist.<br/>
“What are you thinking for dinner, I’m not really in the mood for anything in particular,” he tells me and I silently laugh in my head.  After being with Blake for five years I’ve learned some very important things about him, one being that he doesn’t like to outright ask for what he wants.  He has told me that he has always felt guilty every time he states something he wants, feeling like a burden if what he is thinking isn’t necessarily what the people he is around is thinking.   This is something that we have been working on together but neither of us are perfect at it.  However, knowing this information I have also learned that when he tells me he is not in the mood for anything in particular when it comes to dinner, he is actually craving a burger and possibly some fries, but feels guilty asking that knowing that it most likely would not be my first choice.<br/>
“Why don’t we order in tonight, the boys aren’t here so I’m not worried about making sure a healthy meal is on the table by 5:30 sharp.  We can order from the Grill House.” I tell him, knowing the Gill House offers one of his favorite burgers.  He smiles brightly down on me.  Oh, how I love that smile.  “Okay!  I’ll probably get their classic burger tonight, what are you thinking, the Mediterranean salad?  I can call and order it right now.”  Blake states enthusiastically.  I smile and nod my head at him.  He helps me stand up and we make our way into the house.<br/>
***<br/>
A few hours later we are sat on the couch watching The Sound of Music for the umpteenth time.  God bless this man.  The remnants of our dinner lay on the coffee table long forgotten.  Snuggling further into Blakes chest I listen to the sound of his steady heartbeat, his warmth bringing me the sense of security I had been longing for my whole life before I met him.  He sighs contentedly, pulling his arms tighter around me and starts to lightly hum along to Do-Re-Mi coming from the television.  The feeling of his humming vibrating through his chest starts to lull me to sleep but I resist knowing that if I fall asleep now, I will never be able to sleep through the night. Although, that’s not always a bad thing when Blake is around.  I start to giggle at my own thoughts.<br/>
“Penny for your thoughts Pretty Girl?” Blake looks down at me.  I smirk up at him.  “Oh, nothing of major importance,” I state.  He eyes me suspiciously before saying “All of your thoughts are important to me Gwen.”  I melt at his words before sitting up and stretching my arms above my head groaning from being in the same position for so long.  “I’m going to clean up this mess really quick and get a glass of water.”  I hear Blake stand up behind me and feel his arms snake around my middle pulling me back into his chest.  He lightly nips at my ear before whispering, “While you are doing that, why don’t I run you a bath…maybe get some romantic music playing.  All in the name of relaxation of course.”  I lean my head back against his shoulder and look up at him.  “That sounds fantastic” I state.<br/>
Blake leans down and gives me a light peck before retreating and heading towards our room.  I smile to myself before leaning down and grabbing the rest of our dinner heading to the kitchen.<br/>
***<br/>
After cleaning up our dishes and throwing away the remnants from our dinner I go to the fridge to get myself a glass of water.  I fill up my glass and lean my back against the counter taking a sip staring out the window of the kitchen.  The sun had set about an hour ago and the sky had turned a deep royal blue.  I’m startled out of my thoughts as I hear a knock at the front door.  My brows furrow in confusion.  As far as I know we weren’t expecting any guests tonight.<br/>
“Blake?”  I call out, but get no response.  He must still be up in our room preparing the bath.  I slowly start to make my way to the front door and stare at it from down the hallway.  I jump slightly when I hear the knock coming from it once again.  It’s not an aggressive knock, its gentle…almost hesitant…just loud enough to make its presence known to the occupants in the house.  I make my way down the hallway cautiously and stop just before the door.  Slowly, I raise up on my toes to look through the peep hole of the door.  I’m shocked by what I am presented with on the other side.<br/>
I see a young girl who I don’t recognize in gray Nike sweatpants and a beat-up old sweatshirt reading “Sooners” across the chest. The girl is standing cautiously away from the door.  She looks anxious, taping one finger against the side of her leg repeatedly, while using her other hand to gently pull at the ends of her long brown hair.  A million questions race through my mind, the biggest one being how she got past the gate at the end of the driveway without triggering any security measures.  I don’t feel scared while looking at her though.  I am actually comforted by a sense of…. familiarity.<br/>
Slowly I open the door and peak out at the girl.  She looks at me shocked with wide eyes, almost like she wasn’t expecting the door to actually open.  “Hi sweetie,” I state quietly, not wanting to startle her.  She stares at me and I visibly see her swallow, but she doesn’t say anything.  “Are you alright?” I ask her, staring into her eyes.  Blue eyes.  Blue eyes that are so very familiar to me.  She opens her mouth slightly to speak but hesitates at first.  She looks so scared.<br/>
“Is…Is B-…Blake Shelton here?” she asks so quietly I almost couldn’t hear what she had said.  “Do you know Blake honey? Are you a friend of Blake’s?” I ask her.  But I stare at her in disbelief as her features and familiarity start to fall into place.  I know those eyes.  And before I can speak another word, she confirms the road my mind has already gone down.<br/>
“He’s…He’s my father.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. More Questions Than Answers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gwen’s POV</p>
<p>I continue to stare at the girl in disbelief, my mind running a mile a minute.  Blake can’t have a daughter.  Blake doesn’t have a daughter.  I know this.  He had always wanted kids but every time the conversation topic came up with Miranda, she had not been ready to have them.  Slowly, as time passed, Blake had just stopped asking her, having lost hope that his ex would ever be ready to take the jump.  But here this young girl was standing in front of me.  Her blue eye shined with fear and anxiety.</p>
<p>“Gwen?” I heard Blake coming up behind me. “Is someone here?”</p>
<p>Anxiety creeps up my own back as I feel him come up behind me, placing a hand on my back.  I see the young girls’ eyes widen as she looks up to meet his.  Blake’s hand stiffens on my back as he must have finally come to view the girl on our door step.  I see her demeaner go even more rigid than it had been before.</p>
<p>“This…this was a mistake…” she chokes out in a whisper as she takes a step back.</p>
<p>Wrapping her arms protectively around herself, she quickly turns and starts to hurry down the steps.</p>
<p>“Wait!” I gasp out to her. “Wait, it’s okay,” I pause, “It’s dark out and the temperature is starting to drop.  Why don’t you come inside?”</p>
<p>She stops on the bottom step of our entryway but doesn’t immediately turn around.  Blake stays silent behind me and I can’t bring myself to look up to his face.  The girl turns slightly to glance back at us, first looking nervously to Blake before quickly reverting her eyes to look at me.</p>
<p>“Sweetheart please, it’s okay, come on in.”</p>
<p>Cautiously as ever she makes her way back towards us as I open the door up wider and we all head inside.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Blake’s POV</p>
<p>My mind is moving so fast I can’t seem to stop and analyze one thought before another comes shooting back in.  I hear Gwen’s voice say something to the girl as she sits her down on the couch but I don’t register what it is she says.  Those blue eyes so familiar.  I see slight indents at each corner of the girl’s cheeks which I am sure turn into prominent dimples when she smiles.  She doesn’t look like she smiles a lot.</p>
<p>I feel Gwen take my hand and pull me out of the room into the kitchen.  I am so dazed I barely even register it happening.  I see her mouth moving as she looks at me but still, I hear nothing.  Walking over to the fridge Gwen pulls out a water bottle, twists the cap off and ands it to me.  I shakily bring the bottle to my lips and take a sip.  Soon after my senses start to come back to me.</p>
<p>“Blake.” I hear Gwen state gently yet sternly.  I have probably been worrying her with my lack of responsiveness since I had seen the girl at the front steps.</p>
<p>“Yeah…”  My voice is hoarse even to my own ears.  “Who…Who is she? She,” I pause, “She looks like…”</p>
<p>“Like you?” Gwen interrupts me.</p>
<p>I slowly nod my head up and down as I make eye contact with Gwen.  I’m glad to know I am not the only one who saw the resemblances.</p>
<p>“She claims to be your daughter Blake.  She said so herself, right before you came to the door.”</p>
<p>My mind starts moving fast again as I digest that information.  I feel Gwen take my hand and squeeze it, bringing me back before I can go down another rabbit hole.</p>
<p>“Hey,” she whispers to me, “Whatever this is, if she is your daughter or if she’s not your daughter…we will face it together okay?  I’m right here Blake, I am right here for you.”  She takes her hand and gently strokes my cheek.  I feel my body immediately relax under her touch.</p>
<p>“But first Blake…we need to go in there,” she states gently nodding her head towards the living room, “and we need to figure out the full story.”</p>
<p>“Together?” I whisper.</p>
<p>“Always.”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Gwen’s POV</p>
<p>Walking back into the living room I notice immediately that something is wrong with the young girl.  Her eyes are filled with tears as she stares off into the corner of the room where a stack of Apollo’s toys are piled up.  She then moves her eye sight slowly to the stuffed bear that Apollo had named Benny that was sitting on the couch next to her.  Moving, she reaches out for the bear gently squeezing it in her hand and I watch as a solitary tear makes its way down her face.</p>
<p>“I shouldn’t be here,” She mumbles, “I never should have come here.”</p>
<p>“Why do you feel that way honey, it’s okay really, we just need to figure some stuff out,” I tell her trying to reassure her.</p>
<p>“You have kids,” she whispers, “you have kids and then a disheveled stranger shows up at your door late at night.  I could have scared them; they could have seen me and I could have scared them.  If I had been put in that situation, I know I would have been scared.  But no. I come to your home late at night because I suspect that Blake is my father.  I’m not even positive he is my father and I come here and I disrupt your lives.  I shouldn’t have come here, this was a mistake, I’m so sorry, this was a mistake.”</p>
<p>I hear her working herself up into a panic as she talks the situation out to herself.  She’s upset she could have scared the kids.  She supposedly has just seen her father for the first time in her life and she’s worried about scaring the kids.  I make my way over and kneel down in front of her.  Blake pulls up a chair behind me and gently sits down.</p>
<p>“What’s your name sweetie.”</p>
<p>Her breath stutters and she looked up at me.</p>
<p>“Margarette,” she murmured, “But everyone just calls me Margo.”</p>
<p>Blake still isn’t saying anything.  I turn to glance at him and see he is sat observing her in wonder.  His eyes trail over every inch of Margo’s face analyzing it.</p>
<p>“Margo, that’s pretty,” I turn back to her.  “Well Margo, I don’t want you to worry about the kids.  They are with their father for the next few days, so you had no chance of scaring them tonight.  You say that you aren’t certain that Blake is your father.  What makes you believe that he could be?” I ask her gently.</p>
<p>She starts to look slightly nervous again looking down at her feet.  She doesn’t say anything for sometime before I softly hear,</p>
<p>“Well…to start…Miranda Lambert’s my mother.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Answers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys!  So as I said before this is my first fanfic and I am still trying to find my writting style.  That being said I attempted to write this chapter in third person POV so that I can see what style I like better.  I feel that it is easier for me to write in first person point of veiw, however I like the benifits that third person offers, like being able to show the thoughts and emotions of multiple characters at a time.  Let me know how you guys feel about it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Margo stared at the two adults in front of her wondering the best way to tell them her story.  It was a long, twisted and complicated story that she had never had to share with anyone before.  In fact, there are parts to the story that she struggles to admit to herself.</p>
<p>“Miranda is your mother?” asked Blake softly.</p>
<p>Up to this point, Gwen had done all the talking when it came to Margo, while Blake sat silently beside her taking it all in.  Upon hearing his voice Margo visibly grew more nervous.  </p>
<p>“Yeah…but she doesn’t know that I know.” replies Margo quietly.</p>
<p>Gwen quickly interjects, “What do you mean she doesn’t know that you know?”</p>
<p>Looking between both Gwen and Blake, Margo takes a deep breath.</p>
<p>“I should probably start from the beginning.”</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The trio moved to the outdoor kitchen patio where Gwen and Blake sat across from Margo at the island/bar.  Margo and Gwen each had a glass of water in front of them, while Blake clutched his vodka and sprite zero mix drink in anticipation.</p>
<p>Margo took a slow sip of her water before beginning to explain her story to Blake and Gwen.</p>
<p>“I was raised by my ‘supposed’ parents Maggie and Rick Walters.  We live about an hour outside of Nashville in Lewisburg, Tennessee,” Margo started off, “Miranda had always been a part of our lives.  She was my ‘mom’s’ best friend in high school.  My whole life I knew her as Aunt Randa.  When I was younger, she would come around all the time.  I kinda thought it was weird that I was closer to my moms’ best friend than to any actual living relative of my parents.  All of our relatives lived back in Texas where my parents and Miranda grew up.  At one point there was talk of leaving Tennessee and moving back there.</p>
<p>“About three years ago I woke up one night and heard my mom arguing with someone.  So, I went to check it out and I realized that it was Miranda she was arguing with.  I was going to just ignore it and go back to bed but then I heard my name.</p>
<p>“Miranda started yelling that I was hers and that she still held the final say over anything that encompassed me.  She said that she didn’t want me moving to Texas because there was too much risk there of me figuring everything out.</p>
<p>“The last thing I heard was my mom telling Miranda that she owed them because they took me in for her.  But after that I didn’t listen to the rest of the conversation. I got to upset and went back upstairs to my room.”</p>
<p>Margo released a breath before taking another sip of water.  She kept her eyes trained down on the table, unable to look at the expressions of the two adults in front of her.</p>
<p>“After that night I never heard my parents talk about moving again.  Although I had heard my mom admit out loud that they had ‘taken me in’ I still didn’t want to believe it.  I started searching for physical evidence to try and confirm it all.  It took me a few months but I found it.</p>
<p>“We were switching doctors at one point and my dad brought down this stack of papers from the safe they had.  He said he was looking for some specific sheet that the new doctor needed.  While he was searching, I saw a piece of paper that had his and my mother’s blood type on them.  My mother was B+, and my father was O-. </p>
<p>“That’s when I knew for sure that it was all true.  My blood type is A+.  I did some research to confirm it and, it’s impossible for parents of those two blood types to produce an offspring with type A blood.  I knew for sure that I could not be their biological child.</p>
<p>Margo’s glass sat half empty in front of her.  Slowly she worked up the nerve to look up at Gwen and Blake.</p>
<p>Gwen looked sympathetically at Margo while Blake still looked in shock from the whole situation.</p>
<p>“So, you knew Miranda was your mother.  What was it that pointed you in the direction of Blake as your father?” Gwen quietly asked.</p>
<p>“It took a while for me to start suspecting Blake.  In the beginning he was actually one of the first on my list to be crossed off.  The timeline didn’t add up with him.  She hasn’t full on publicly dated that many.  But according to everything I could find on the internet, Blake was introduced in 2005.  I was born on October 11th 2004.</p>
<p>“I spent the next two years trying to find out everything I could from my mom and sometimes Miranda herself about her love life.  I came across a few leads here and there but they all came up empty.</p>
<p>“And then one day Randa was visiting for a weekend a few months back.  My parents had gone out and it was just us in the house.  Something about the two of you came up on TV.  She…got pretty irritated about it and mumbled some stuff under her breath.  I was curious, I mean I had heard a lot about you when I was younger and you guys were together but she never brought you around.”</p>
<p>Margo sighed, “So I asked her if it was true, I asked her if it was true that you guys feel in love on stage that day you meet.</p>
<p>“She chuckled at me and told me not to believe everything I see on the internet.  Then she didn’t say anything for a while and we sat in silence.  I thought maybe I had upset her and was going to apologize before she spoke again.</p>
<p>“She had said ‘That actually wasn’t the first time we had meet.’  Randa explained to me how the two of you had played at another country festival before that one and had meet there.  But she wasn’t big enough yet to have been someone recognizable from that festival, which is why the media believed the two of you hadn’t crossed paths until 2005.  But the two of you spent three days together at that festival.</p>
<p>“Miranda told me that in 2005 when you sang on that stage together all those feelings from those three days came crashing back.  The media spun the story of how the two of you feel in love on stage and you guys rolled with it.  It was easier to follow that story line then come out and explain that you had actually had a fling together in the past.</p>
<p>“When she left the next day, I looked up the festival she was talking about when you two met.  That festival took place January 11th through the 13th of 2004.  Nine months before I was born.</p>
<p>Gwen and Blake stared at Margo expressionless.  Margo nervously started pulling at her neck waiting for one of them to say something.  After a few minutes of complete silence, the young girl started to panic.</p>
<p>“Listen I know it’s a long shot and it’s a lot to take in and I am probably crazy but I just had to come.  I had to get out of there.  And I thought that if I could just get you to hear me out or we could take a paternity test—”</p>
<p>“I have a daughter.” Blake interrupts. “I really actually have a daughter.”</p>
<p>The sound of Blakes stool scraping across the ground echoes across the yard.  Blake quickly walks around to Margo’s side of the island.  His sudden and abrupt movements make Margo nervous again and she looks to the ground.  Slowly, Blake brings his hand up, tucking Margo’s hair behind her ear while turning her head to look up at him.</p>
<p>“You are my daughter,” he states.</p>
<p>Slowly Margo nods while Blake continues to stroke just under her eye with his thumb.</p>
<p>“I’ve missed…I’ve missed so much.”</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Margo tells him softly, “You didn’t know.”</p>
<p>Blake hesitates suddenly.  “You said 2003 was the year you were born.  That makes you what, 16, 17?</p>
<p>“Sixteen” Margo whispered.</p>
<p>“Sixteen” Blake whispers back before pulling her in for a hug.</p>
<p>At the sudden show of affection coming from Blake Margo bursts into tears and hugs her father back.</p>
<p>“I am so happy to have found you.” Margo chokes out through her tears.</p>
<p>“I’m so happy you found me too.” Blake tells her softly, holding her close.</p>
<p>Gwen watches the sweet and emotional moment between the two unfold before her eyes.  Blake had told her the truth about how Miranda and him started back when they first started dating.  He had confided in her about how he felt seeing Miranda on stage again after their whirl wind romance.  Blake had also confided in her about how it seemed there was nothing that relationship had to offer him when looking back on it.  That was one of his biggest heartaches.  He had stayed in that relationship for so long and to him, it seemed not one good thing came out of it.  But it seems he just didn’t know about that good thing yet.  And that good thing is now currently standing in front of him.</p>
<p>Gwen swiped under her eye catching a tear as she was getting emotional as well.  But there were still some things that needed to be addressed and she knew it.  Gwen waited until Blake and Margo pulled away from each other before asking her next question.</p>
<p>“So, Miranda still doesn’t know that you are aware she is your mother?  How were you able to come here if she doesn’t know?  Do your parents know you are here?”</p>
<p>Margo seems to freeze slightly at those questions again before slowly sitting back down on her barstool.</p>
<p>“No, Miranda is not aware of what I know, and No, my parents do not know that I am here.”</p>
<p>“Okay, how did you get here then?  We should probably contact them; they are probably worried about you.” Gwen stated to Margo.</p>
<p>“Please,” Margo’s voice broke, “I can guarantee you that they are not worried about me right now, can we please just wait a little while to call them.”</p>
<p>Blake and Gwen can both tell how uneased Margo suddenly seems at the prospect of contacting her family.  Blake gently puts a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.<br/>
“How about this, it’s getting really late tonight.  You can spend the night here.  We can take the day tomorrow to get to know each other a little better, and then tomorrow after dinner we will call them together.  Does that sound okay?” Blake propositions.</p>
<p>Margo hesitates before softly nodding to his proposed idea.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Blake tells her softly, “Well why don’t we show you the spare bedroom and we can get you some clothes to sleep in, and then tomorrow after we all are well rested, we can have some fun.”</p>
  </div></div>
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